


A Protector's Love

by TheBigLoserQueen



Series: Office AU [11]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Age Difference, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Dating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fights, First Dates, Fist Fights, Flashbacks, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Human, Hurt/Comfort, Language, One-Sided Attraction, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 06:50:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4777604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thornstriker goes on a date with Dead End.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He stared at the washing machine. It stared back at him, not moving an inch. 

Growling, he kicked the machine. Damn it, he hated how the washers would eat the quarters once in a while. It wasn't like he had quarters to spare.

After a few more kicks, he was relieved to see the washer start up.

But now he had to wait. The laundry room had too many problems to risk leaving his clothes there. The washers had stopped mid-cycle for him in the past and he did not want to spend the afternoon airing out soapy underwear. And he knew some tenants who liked to mess with others’ laundry. Their activities ranged from throwing their clothes on the floor to get a washer to actually stealing clean loads.

He heard a soft giggle come from behind him, which made his eyes widened as he looked over at the door. There stood one of the tenants on his floor, a petite, young woman carrying a small basket of clothing. Her name was Thornstriker, Dead End having met her about two years ago when she and her friends had gone to the club he worked at. She had moved into the apartment complex a year and half ago with Bloodshed, who was an acquaintance of his. He wouldn't call him and Bloodshed friends, but they shared mutual interests, so it was somewhat like a friendship. Somewhat.

At the time of their first meeting, she had been twenty-three. Now, she was twenty-five years old, but she looked much younger than that, what with her thin and small frame, straight light brown hair, pale skin, bright blue eyes, and a baby face to match...

He mentally scolded himself. He was checking her out yet again. He seriously needed to stop doing that.

"The washer giving you trouble again?" she asked, stepping into the room and setting the basket down on the counter.

"When doesn't it give me problems?"

She gave another soft giggle. "Well, hopefully it works for you this time."

He just gave a nod, leaning back against the washer he was at. He looked over her as she began to sort out her own load, though he had to turn away when she pulled out her underwear and such. He tried just keeping his gaze on her or things around her, but because it was hot and summertime, she was wearing shorts and a tang top, making him feel perverted when he looked at her.

He liked the girl. While many thought that he liked party-hard chicks with big breasts and all that crazy shit, his type was basically the exact opposite. He liked sweet girls, polite and considerate and friendly. The shy and timid type of woman was his favorite, which Thornstriker was. Still, it felt awkward since he was thirteen years older than her. He was probably considered to be creepy by most people for being attracted to her. It didn't help that she barely looked legal.

Damn, that hit him hard in the gut.

"Um, Dead End?"

The older man perked up, seeing that she was blushing a bit, looking rather embarrassed. It was really cute.

"Um... I-I know it's silly, but I dropped a bracelet in there... And... Um... I'm... too small to reach in and grab it myself. C-Could you, um... get it for me?"

He stared at her for a few moments, seeing her blush some more. Fuck, she really was his type... But he shook his head of those thoughts and gave a soft huff, moving over to the washer she was at. She pointed to the bracelet, which was under some of her bras and panties. He did everything in his power to not just turn red, feeling like some kind of pervert.

He must have been standing there for a while because she asked him if he was all right. Shaking himself out of it, he felt his whole body tense and tighten as he leaned over and reached in. But the bracelet had bra straps and the lacy edges of her panties over it. His hand hesitated as it stopped over the bracelet. He couldn't bring himself to touch the undergarments. These articles of clothes had been on her body and it was if he was touching her indirectly.

His eyes widened when he felt her press against his arm, causing him to stiffen. Did she have to stand so close?!

“Can you not reach it?” she inquired, leaning over to see.

He coughed, clearing his throat. “No… No, I can…” Finally, trying to forget what was inside, he quickly took a hold of the charm bracelet, hearing it jingle, and pulled it out. He handed it to her, seeing her smile brightly and put it back on her tiny, slender wrist.

“Thank you,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many times this thing falls off. My wrist is just too small.”

“You’re welcome,” he murmured softly as she went back to putting the rest of her delicates in the wash. He turned away, allowing his cheeks to turn red a little. He had touched her underwear… He had actually touched it… Damn it! He wasn’t a pervert, but the fact that this girl barely looked legal and he liked her made him feel terrible! He could never catch a break with women.

“How’s your job?” she asked, putting in the soap. “Last time you said that there was a nasty bar fight you had to break up.”

He huffed, rubbing the scar by his ear he had gotten from said fight. Ever since she and Bloodshed had moved into the apartment, the girl would do laundry at the same time every Friday – the same time Dead End would do his laundry. While things were a bit awkward at first, they had become “laundry buddies,” as she put it, talking to each other about their lives for the time it took to do laundry. 

“Uneventful since then,” he said, taking his hand from his ear. “Just the usual. Minors trying to sneak it and people getting too wasted.”

She laughed. “You’re very good at catching minors. Probably a good thing too, considering they’re the ones who can get hurt the most.”

“Well, it’s part of the job description,” he said. “I can usually spot them at the line and tell them to move on, but sometimes a few sneak it. That isn’t too much of a problem though, since a lot of times they’re worried they’ll be found out, so they’ll keep looking at me or the other guards. They’ve got a certain look to them too, which helps.”

“Do they all have baby faces?”

He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. To this day, she still poked fun at him for mistaking her for a minor when he first met her, despite her being already twenty-three at the time. But shit! He couldn’t help it – she had barely looked eighteen!

“Look, I said I was–”

She gave a small giggle, turning on the washer. Unlike his, it didn’t give her any problems and started automatically. “Oh, I’m only teasing you. Don’t worry too much about it – I’ve gotten over it a long time ago.” Then she sighed, giving a shrug. “Besides, it happens a lot, so I’m used to it. You weren’t the first and you weren’t the last.” 

Dead End said nothing as she went back to her laundry basket, now assorting through her clothes she had worn that week. He looked back at his own washer, seeing that it was still going and not just stopping like it had a few other times.

“How’s the waitress job going?”

“It’s all right,” she said, giving a soft sigh. “I mean, it helps get me through school. I don’t enjoy it, but I really want to earn my Ph.D., so I just have to keep at it.”

Dead End nodded. He was quite impressed with the young woman’s intelligence. Of course, it might have been because he barely finished community when he was in college. Because she wanted to be a university professor, specializing in biochemistry, she said she needed a Ph.D. in the subject, which required more schooling and more money. Though, apparently, it wasn’t too much of an issue since her brother was helping her finance her education. She merely worked as a waitress to cover other fees, luxuries, and rent.

“Your classes giving you issues?”

“It’s tiring to study at times, but I normally get it all done in a decent hour. And my professors like me, so if I ever need help, I can always go to them.”

“Well, that’s good.” Hell, when he was in college, his professors wanted nothing to do with him. Not that he really wanted to do anything with them either, considering he only went to school to say he got an associate's degree, but still - it would have been nice if his teachers had actually cared.

She nodded, giving a soft smile. "It also helps that I actually know my professors. One of them says that if I can earn my Ph.D. in the next three years, he knows a university within the city that is opening up a new department building for more science courses, meaning they'll need more professors."

His eyes widened. "Three more years? Didn't you start the doctorate program last year? Will you be able to finish in time?"

"Well, I got my masters early," she explained, giving a small shrug. "That does help me a lot, actually. So, I just need to focus my attention now on my studies and research and, hopefully, by the time I'm twenty-eight, I'll have earn my degree!"

"Does that mean I'll have to call you Doctor Thornstriker?"

She gave a small laugh, throwing back her head a bit and shaking her head. "No, no. Unless you become one of my students when I become a professor, then maybe you'll have to."

He huffed. "How do you have time for dating? I'm sure Bloodshed is kind of down that you guys aren't together that often."

"Wh-What?" she asked, looking at him with wide and confused eyes. She blushed a bit and swallowed. "O-Oh no... No, we're not dating."

Dead End blinked. "You're not?"

"N-No... We're just friends."

Thornstriker just looked down at her hands, now feeling a bit awkward. Though Bloodshed was in love with her, he would never consider dating her. At least not after what he did. And she, despite being much more comfortable with him now, still had problems when he would try to touch her first. There was no way she could date him... 

He just stared at her for a few moments. They weren't dating? That had to be a lie. First off, it wasn't every day that a girl would move in with her male friend. Second, he had assumed they were together because of how... protective Bloodshed was of her. He could still remember how furious he had been that one night in the club with those Japanese kids. And he was always giving her these... looks. He had been certain that they were dating.

Then Dead End paused for a moment. Well, if she wasn't dating Bloodshed... had she ever dated anyone before? He couldn't imagine it, considering Bloodshed was always keeping men away from her with that scary-ass glare of him. It could split a mountain in two and could certainly send a man running.

"Have you been on any dates lately?" he asked slowly, carefully. 

She blushed a bit. "N-No... I-I've never have time."

"Have... Have you ever dated anyone before?"

"O-Only once, wh-when I was a sophomore in college. We're just friends now."

He just gave a nod, looking back at his laundry again. So... She was single. She wasn't with Bloodshed like he had believed her to be. That was the main reason why he stayed away from her. But now that he knew she wasn't dating anyone... There wasn't anything truly stopping him from trying to act out on his feelings. Except for maybe their age difference and the fact she didn't look her age.

Still, there wasn't anything really stopping him. And since she was available, it couldn't hurt to ask. Didn't mean he wasn't a little nervous though. He had to laugh at that. Here he stood – 6'6 and was a rather well-built bouncer at a club – and he was nervous about asking a young woman who probably couldn't hurt a fly (even if she tried) on a date. It seemed a little pathetic, really.

But he took a deep breath anyway. "Say... Thornstriker?"

She looked up at him.

"Is... is there anyone you're interested in now?"

She bit her bottom lip and blushed, but shook her head.

All right, he thought. It was now or never. "Thornstriker. I... I like you."

She stared at him for a second before blinking. "Oh... why thank you, Dead End. I like you too."

His jaw nearly unhinged. She... liked him back?! This sounded too good to be true. "R-Really?"

"Yes. You can be a little scary sometimes, but that's only when you're doing your job. I think you're a very nice and kind person that people never try to understand. So I find you to be a good friend."

It felt like she had punched him in the stomach. That kind of like. Not the kind he had just confessed to her. Well, at least she liked him at some sort of level. He should have been grateful for that, but Christ - just how innocent or naive was this woman? For her to think that his form of like was the innocent one of friendship... It made him even more attracted to her, but it also frustrated him.

"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "I don't mean I like you as a friend... I mean... I like you to where I want to date you."

She just stared at him for a few more moments. Oh... Oh, that kind of like. Her face turned bright red, not expecting him to mean it that way. While she felt a bit overwhelmed, she had heard both Bloodshed and Warpath (when they had been dating) say it to her so many times that it didn't completely knock her down with shock. Still... Dead End... liked her like that?

"B-But you never-!"

"I thought you and Bloodshed were together," he explained, stepping a bit closer to her. "That's why I never said anything. But... as it turns out, you're not together... So I'm telling you that I like you. I have for a while." 

Thornstriker just stood there, staring at him with wide eyes and a red face. That couldn't be true! H-He couldn't have liked her! She-She had seen him bring women home! Those girls were the type he liked! She didn’t fit that mold at all!

"I-I don't understand," she said. "W-Why me? I... I'm just... Just..."

"Well... you're my type," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... I tend to like the shy, timid, quiet girls... Which you are."

Oh Primus, she was always attracting men like this! Always these big, strong, muscular men... Why?! She was very much flattered by the fact that men even found her attractive, but it was always the same type of men! Why couldn't a normal looking man like Perceptor or something be attracted to her? Why always men that were so damn hulking compared to her?! She didn't understand. Was she releasing some strange pheromone that someone had yet to tell her about?!

Then she cleared her throat. "Um... I-I... Thank you," she finally pushed out, not sure how to approach this. "I... I'm... flattered you find me attractive and like me."

He felt a wave of relief come over him. The last time he had confessed to a girl like Thornstriker, she had freaked out and screamed before running away. It wasn't the greatest memory of his life, but it did teach him about how his type normally reacted to him. Then he took a deep breath, knowing he had to get out what he wanted to ask.

"If... If you're not busy this Tuesday... Would you go on a date with me to dinner? At the High Point Tavern?"

She had to hold her breath on that to prevent her jaw from dropping. Who could have imagined being asked on a date to a restaurant just a bit more elegant than a family restaurant while doing their laundry in the cramped and smelly wash room at their apartment complex?

But looking back at him, she could see the seriousness and the desperation in his eyes. He didn't appear to be playing some sick joke on her and it seemed like he was inwardly praying for her to say yes. He was being very serious with this and it looked like, from his shaky hands and sweaty face, he was ready to faint from the tension he was under.

She couldn't say no. And it wasn't as if she wanted to anyway... She also didn't have work or classes on Tuesday. One date wouldn't hurt either. He really seemed to like her and seemed eager to go on a date with her. It couldn't hurt her. "Al-All right... T-Tuesday sounds good."

A wave of relief came over Dead End. Thank Primus... she had actually said yes. He had been so used to being turned down by his type that he had actually believed that she would say no (though in a gentler way than others like her had).

He cleared his throat. "When is a good time for you?"

"J-Just after five..."

"Six then?"

"Y-Yes... That will be fine."

"I'll come pick you up then and drive you." 

"O-Okay..." Then she turned back to her laundry, unable to look the older man in the eye anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

It was Sunday evening and she and Bloodshed had just finished their dinner. Now they were sitting in the living room, Bloodshed lounging on the couch and reading a book while Thornstriker was looking over lab report she had done. Sunday nights were usually like this, the silent company something they enjoyed when simply trying to relax. 

But Bloodshed, not looking up from his book, asked her, "Thornstriker, that movie you wanted to see is going to be at the two dollar theatre this week."

"Oh really?" she said, still checking over her paper.

"Yeah. Want to go on Tuesday? I'm getting out of work earlier that day anyway."

Thornstriker froze. Tuesday. Primus, she hadn't told Bloodshed about her plans yet. It wasn't so much that she had forgotten about them... She had marked the date on her phone. But, while she knew she could be oblivious, she wasn't completely stupid. She knew about Bloodshed's deep feelings for her. She also knew he was extremely protective over her, especially after what had happened in their junior year. He kept all men, including himself, away from her.

She didn't imagine him taking it well. She didn't want to tell him, but she didn't want to lie to him either. She swallowed and tried to turn her attention back to her paper. "S-Sorry, but I already have plans for Tuesday."

"We can go on Thursday then, since you don't have class that day. What do you have planned for Tuesday?"

She inwardly flinched. "I'm... going out to dinner with someone."

"Oh, who?"

Damn it, why was he making this so hard?! She didn't want him to know. "Um... Someone we know."

"Who?"

"J-Just a neighbor..."

Bloodshed finally put down his book to look at her, giving her a somewhat annoyed expression. "Thornstriker, who are you going to dinner with?"

She bit her bottom lip, looking back down at her report, pretending to look over it. "D-Dead End. Just... Dead End."

If Bloodshed had not put his book done before, it would have fallen to the floor at that point. The younger man just stared at her as if she had grown two extra heads. Thornstriker wasn't sure if she could say anything seeing as how his reaction to the news was not going as she hoped it would.

He stared at her for another whole minute before he finally responded. "Dead End?"

Unsure of what to make of it, she nodded.

"You're... going out to dinner... with Dead End?" He almost sounded skeptical about what she had just told him.

"Y-Yes..." she said. "A-At six. We're going to go to High Point Tavern."

Bloodshed just stared at her, completely silent. Thornstriker and Dead End... were going out to dinner on Tuesday at six to High Point Tavern. They were going... on a date. It was a date.

"When did this happen?" he said, looking up at her.

"O-On Friday... Y-You know how I do the laundry the same time he does? I-It was during that time..."

He looked away from her and stared at... nothing. He could only imagine Thornstriker on a date. With Dead End. In that type of romantic atmosphere. So he knew Thornstriker was Dead End’s type, but... he never would have thought the older man would have made a move on her. But... he had. And now he was going on a date with Thornstriker, the woman Bloodshed had been in love with for so many years... 

His mouth suddenly felt dry and his chest hurt, almost like he was having some sort of heart attack. He had no right to feel this way. He may have loved her, but he was not her boyfriend or her lover. He was just her protector, her friend. She had every right to see or date anyone she wanted to see... Though that didn't mean he wouldn't try to scare the guys he didn't think were worthy of her away.

"Bloodshed?"

He looked up at her, his expression still blank. But his eyes burned red with a range of emotions she couldn't exactly pinpoint. 

She knew it. He was jealous. And maybe he was angry with her because he knew that she knew that he loved her. Dearly. And here she was, going out with other men. A part of her felt guilty, causing her to rub the back of her neck.

“You…”

She flinched at his tone.

“You… want to go?”

The question surprised her. “Wh-What?”

“You… actually want to go, right?” he said carefully. “He didn’t… force you to go, did he?” Not that he thought Dead End was like that. Hell, he knew that Dead End would never do that. But they were in a room together. Alone. With no one else around. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the older man. He just didn’t trust any man who was interested in Thornstriker.

It took her a moment before she understood what he was asking. “O-Oh yes… I-I wanted to go. I told him yes by choice…”

“Oh…” Then he fell silent again.

“Is… is it all right?”

The question made him blink. “Wh-What do you mean?”

“I-I mean… I…” She couldn’t find the right words. She didn’t want him thinking that she was doing this to bash his feelings for her or anything. She just wanted to know if he would be okay with all of this. “Do… Do you… not want me to go?” 

He just looked at her for a minute. By how she was wording that… it was as if she were asking him for permission to go. He frowned slightly and gave a harsh growl, making her flinch. “It’s your choice and I have no say in what you want to do with other men.” 

“I just thought–”

“Thought what?” he growled, standing up. “That because I’m in love with you, I’m in charge of everything you do? Well, I’m not. Do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

“Bloodshed, I–”

But he stormed out of the room, moving down the hallway to his bedroom. She flinched when the door slammed, living her alone in the living room. She never should have said anything. It would have been better if she had lied. Now Bloodshed was upset and angry at her. Because she betrayed his feelings.

Maybe it would be better if she just canceled the date with Dead End. But she didn’t want to hurt his feelings either, considering he truly seemed to like her. And she did find him to be attractive… She had simply never considered any romantic feelings before.

Damn it. This was such a mess.

* * *

Just as Thornstriker put on her light green tank top and pajama shorts, there was a knock at her door. She glanced at the clock, the time reading 11:36 p.m. She was a bit hesitant to answer the door, but she didn’t want to be rude. She walked over to it and pulled it open a little.

As expected, Bloodshed stood there, looking down at his bare feet. He only wore a pair of black pajama bottoms, his large, tattooed, and muscular chest revealed to her. She swallowed, having to regain control of herself for a moment. The sight of the man’s well built body reminded her of that awful night and she wasn’t comfortable with him being so close to her like this. 

Then she cleared her throat, looking up at his cast-down face. “Is something wrong?” she said gently, not wanting to upset him.

The other slowly looked up. The woman bit her bottom lip at the sight of his eyes, which looked a bit swollen and puffy. As if he had been crying. It made her feel horrible, making her feel like she had done something wrong. And in a way, she had. She betrayed his deep and utterly sincere feelings that he had for her since he was a boy.

“Bloodshed… I didn’t mean to–”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured softly, cutting her off.

Her eyes widened at the apology, not expecting it. Why was he even apologizing to begin with?

“Thornstriker, I… I didn’t mean to yell at you,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I… I was just being… stupid. I’m sorry.”

Though it took a good four hours, he admitted to himself that he had been behaving like a brat. He may have lived with her and he may have been in love with her, but he had no right to feel jealous or get angry like he had. He did not own her, he was not her lover. And he never would be because of his heinous actions in their junior year.

She was allowed to date who she wanted to date. Even if it killed him inside with jealousy.

Thornstriker gave him a soft look. “No… No,” she said gently, opening the door a bit more. “Bloodshed, you don’t have to apologize. I… I understand.”

He shook his head. “I know you think you have to be considerate of my… feelings, but you don’t. You can date whoever you want to whenever you want to. Don’t… Don’t take me into account.” Though, he would have been lying if he said he wasn’t a bit happy that she was.

“I’m making this so hard for you… I’m sorry. I’ll tell Dead End I–”

“Stop,” he said, his voice a bit more firm, though not harsh. “Thornstriker, please. It just… It makes me feel worse. We're not dating. We're not together... I am not your lover. I am... your friend. And that is all I can ever hope to be."

Thornstriker blushed a bit, looking off to the side. She hated it when he put himself down like that, but she knew that was how he would probably always see himself. Beneath her. Not worthy of her. Yet so deeply in love with her that he could only hope to keep her safe, despite the harm he had caused her himself.

"Go on... the date with Dead End," he muttered. "If you want to go, then by all means - go. I'm not going to keep you from living your life."

He took a step toward her and rested a hand on her shoulder, Thornstriker's eyes widening a bit as she tensed. She swallowed as his arms slowly and carefully slid around her, pulling her into a hug. He gave her enough time to push away if she wanted to, but she remained still and allowed to be hugged. Though, she had to suppress a shiver as her weak and petite body was brought against his well built frame.

"But... I-If anything goes wrong or something happens... Call me, please. I'll have my phone on me the entire time. If something happens, tell me. Okay?"

"O-Okay..."

Satisfied, he let her go. "Good night."

"G-Good night, Bloodshed." Then she retreated back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She was a bit red and a bit shaky from the sudden hug, but she was more overwhelmed by the desperation in his voice when he begged her to call him if she had any problems. He truly wanted to be her protector, if nothing else. It was sweet of him, but so embarrassing...

Then she shook her head. She couldn't think about it anymore. She needed to go to bed. She had work and classes tomorrow... And then her date on Tuesday.

Primus, help her.


	3. Chapter 3

Tuesday, 5:55 p.m. - she was in the bathroom, getting ready for her date with Dead End. She was wearing a light blue dress that came down just above her knees with small white heels. The bust part of the dress was buttoned up to just a bit below her collarbone and the sleeves covered her shoulders. It was a nice dress that she didn't wear often, but liked, so she figured it would be a good first date outfit at the restaurant.

She had just finished her hair, curling it a bit, and was now doing her make-up. She wasn't putting on a lot (she never understood why women would paint their faces that way), but she figured a little blush and mascara would do.

Bloodshed was sitting out in the living room, watching television. Well, trying to watch it. He was really too distracted to focus on the Jurassic Park movie on the screen. His eyes kept drifting to look over at the open bathroom, hearing Thornstriker prepare for her date.

Though he had told her she had every right to do whatever she wanted, it hurt him to know that she was getting dressed up for this. She didn't wear make-up often, only for special events. He had been the first person to see her with make-up before when they had gone to prom. She had looked even more beautiful than usual and she had done it for him. Well, at least that was how he had imagined it in his head at the time.

It was just like the time when she would put on make-up for her then-boyfriend Warpath. It didn't help that he loathed that man, but seeing her put on make-up for him hurt him. It made him insanely jealous because she was making herself even prettier for someone else. It was selfish and petty of him, but he couldn't stop his chest from seizing with pain.

"Bloodshed," he heard her call. "Could you come here for a moment?"

He huffed, rising to his feet and walking over to the bathroom. But when he reached the doorway and looked inside, he froze as his eyes widened.

She looked... beautiful. Though the outfit, hair, and make-up were simple, or so he thought, she just looked so beautiful. He almost fell to his knees right then and there, ready to beg her to not go out and not allow anyone to see her like this. No one should be able to see her... No one but him. Because he loved her. Because he would kill for her, die for her. He would do anything for her.

His chest tightened in pain, making him wince a little. Why? Why did this have to hurt so much?

She bit her bottom lip. "Wh-What do... What do you think? Am I too overdressed?"

It took him a second to snap out of it. He swallowed, shaking his head. "Looks... nice. Really nice."

She blushed. "Th-Thank you." Then she turned to her jewelry box, pulling out a small necklace and holding it out to him. "C-Could you help me put this on?"

She was doing it on purpose. She was purposely trying to torture him and make his chest hurt even more than it already was. But he could not stop himself from taking the small chain and waiting for her to turn around. He slowly brought the necklace to her front as she moved her hair away, allowing him to pull it around her neck and clasp it shut. Bloodshed held the chain for a good ten seconds after closing it before he finally let it drop onto her neck.

"Thank you,” she spoke softly as she fixed her hair again. It was almost six and Dead End would be there any second to take her to the restaurant.

The younger man stepped back to the door's entrance as he watched her put away her make-up and everything else. He finally moved to let her walk into the living room to get her purse.

There was a knock on the front door, making Thornstriker look over and Bloodshed tense. She bit her bottom lip, glancing at Bloodshed as he seemed stiff. She gave a heavy sigh and turned away from him, heading toward the door and opening it.

There stood the 6'6 man, wearing a nice white collared shirt and black dress pants with a pair of black shoes. He was wearing some cologne, which actually smelled rather nice. He looked to be nervous as he was swirling his car keys in his hands, though he stopped when the door fully opened and Thornstriker came into view. He almost dropped his keys at the sight of her.

Fuck, she looked seriously pretty. He had never seen her dolled up before - not even when she had gone to the club - and it was a sight to see. He was almost in awe, especially considering most of the women he "dated" dressed like hookers. But not Thornstriker. She looked so adorable, so pretty... And she looked so damn young. He felt slightly embarrassed by it. He prayed that no one would get the wrong idea about them together.

He glanced over her at Bloodshed. The man just stared at him with dark eyes, which stunned him a bit. He wasn't usually hostile with him. Then again, he usually wasn’t crowding in on his territory. And the younger man's glare wasn't so much about him needing to back off. He could tell what the other was trying to get it.

If he hurt her in anyway, Bloodshed would fuck him up.

He looked back over at the petite girl in front of him. "You ready?"

"O-Oh, yes..." She stepped outside the house, looking back at Bloodshed. She gave him a small smile and a wave. "I'll see you later, Bloodshed."

"What time will you guys be back?" the dark-skinned man asked, looking to the girl.

"Um... Probably nine. But if something changes, I'll call you. I promise."

Bloodshed only nodded. Then he turned away as the door closed behind the two of them, not sure he could handle looking at them any longer. He wanted to run outside and pull her back into the apartment, but he couldn't do that. If she wanted to date Dead End, she could. She could do anything she wanted to do.

He just wished it didn't hurt so much. 

* * *

High Point Tavern was packed. It wasn't an extravagant restaurant with decor that resembled more of a nicer snow cabin, but the food was that good that it had the atmosphere of being more than a family restaurant. So most of the people there were more business-like and there were almost no kids.

Dead End and Thornstriker both felt very self-conscious at their table in the middle of it all. They were dressed better than some of the other guests, but they were an odd couple. In fact, when she asked for a glass of white wine, the waiter has actually turned to Dead End and asked him if it was okay for his daughter to have alcohol! Both had been too embarrassed to do much other than for the older man to say yes.

They looked at each other nervously as the waiter handed them their drinks and a basket of rolls. She almost immediately grabbed the glass to take a quick sip, needing to settle her nerves. Of course, she had finished it in one gulp due to her nerves, making her feel even more embarrassed than she already was.

She cleared her throat and turned to the wait. "S-Sorry, but may I have another?"

"I'm sorry, Miss," he said. "I can only get away with serving one glass to a minor."

Dead End gave a soft groan, rubbing his eyes. "Trust me; she's legal."

"Oh, when was your daughter born?"

"She's not my daughter," he grumbled, now feeling somewhat annoyed to add to his embarrassment. "She's my date. And she's twenty-five years old. Get her another glass... Please."

The waiter just stared at him, shocked and a bit horrified at first. For one thing, he felt a bit bad that he had believed the girl to be his daughter. Also, there was no way that she could be twenty-five! She looked way too young!

But before he could ask her for her ID, she had already pulled out her driver's license for him to look at. He stared at her for a few moments before she gave a soft sigh. "This happens a lot to me. I know the procedures."

Dead End couldn't help but to laugh once, considering he had been in the waiter's position two years ago. He just watched the waiter look over it and cough out that he would get her another glass. Then he turned away, leaving the couple to stare at each other.

Thornstriker put her license back into her purse. "Maybe I shouldn't get drinks anymore. Just makes things awkward for everyone."

"If you want to drink and you're legal, you should be able to," he said, reaching over and taking a roll from the basket. "You're not doing anyone any harm."

"Yes, but then they ask if I'm your daughter."

Dead End said nothing, just taking a small bite from the roll. Fuck these people, making him feel like a pervert when he wasn't... Well, at least it seemed to be the end of things when the waiter brought Thornstriker another glass of wine. When he saw her about to down the glass again, he reached over and rested a hand on her wrist, shaking his head.

"Slow down there," he said. "You drink that fast, you'll get drunk."

She blushed a bit, nodding before taking a small sip and placing the glass down. "S-Sorry. Just a bit nervous, I guess."

"Well, don't try and drown it out with alcohol. I don't think Bloodshed would like it if I brought you home drunk." Hell, he imagined that the man would try to bash his skull into the wall. When those Japanese kids had somehow gotten Thornstriker into their room, while from Thornstriker's story they hadn't tried to rape her, Bloodshed had assumed that that was what was going on. The last thing he needed or even wanted was someone accusing him of attempted rape.

"N-No... He wouldn't..." Thornstriker didn't like agreeing with that idea of Bloodshed, but she knew the younger man was very overprotective of her. Dead End was most likely remembering the incident at the club a few years back when the situation had caused Bloodshed to assume the worst possible scenario. He was already hurt enough because she was on this date; she didn't need to stress him out more by getting drunk with another man.

Taking a sip of her water, she pushed Bloodshed to the back of her mind. While it was only because others were worried about her, she couldn't keep thinking of her roommate while on a date with Dead End! Like the younger man had said, this was about what she wanted to do; no one else should be able to influence her on how to live her life. She wanted to enjoy a nice dinner with this kind man and she would without making it even more awkward than it was already.

"So how's Blackout? I heard he found a job closer to the center his brother's being treated at?"

"Ah-!" He was caught off guard for a second with half a roll in his mouth. Nodding, he finished the food in his mouth before finally responding. "Y-Yeah, Barricade found him a position working security at a more upscale club in the city. He says it’s a little harder because the crowds are bigger and wilder than the crowds out here, but he's just happy he'll be able to visit his brother everyday at the center."

"Well, that's good. From what I remember, he couldn't really keep the job working at the club."

"Yeah... The place he's at now has a better pay, which helps him keep Scorponok in the facility he's in."

"Oh!" she said, perking up a bit at that. "That's great news. Barricade really looks out for him. And you too, it seems."

Dead End just shrugged, deciding to steer the conversation elsewhere. "How's your brother? You said he was in an accident last week."

"Oh, he's fine. He hurt his arm, but he'll survive. Besides, he's been through way worse. Lawyers don't have the safest of jobs, considering people are always claiming to have been cheated by them. There are some crazy people out there, sadly."

"Yeah... They're usually the same shits that try anything to get into the club. You see a lot of... interesting things, being a bouncer."

She gave a soft laugh, taking a roll and biting into it. "I can imagine so," she said after she swallowed. "I don't understand why people want to go to club so badly... Does it not bother you at all that you have to work there? I mean... It's hot, crowded, everyone is loud and drinking and performing dance moves that look like they belong in some adult video. And some of the people there can be really rude, especially to security... Doesn’t it bother you at all?"

Dead End had to resist sighing. He... was indifferent to the setting of the club and whatnot. He thought it to be too much at times and for the types he liked, this setting was not their thing at all. But he had grown up in a setting where this atmosphere was desired and such. And he had been working in it for so long that it just felt normal.

But for women like her, he knew that it was a bad place for them to be at. Women like Thornstriker would be too vulnerable in that sort of setting and he had seen bad things happen to shy, naive women who stepped into that place.

"I... grew up in this sort of setting. And I've been working in this business for so long that I've gotten used to it."

The problem now was that he could not have one thing without the other. He had a decent job, but it wasn't a great one and it wasn't like he had experience elsewhere to attempt a career change. But if he were to find someone to be with, it would be hard to separate his demanding work schedule and lifestyle with the likely personality of the woman he would be with. He had no idea how to even begin to try and figure out his life from here.

“Well… I supposed that, when you grow up in that setting, you are used to it,” she murmured quietly. “I mean… I’m the way I am and am comfortable in that type of environment because I was raised that way.” She gave a soft laugh. “I supposed that’s why I’m such a prude when it comes to your type of life.”

Dead End shrugged. “I wouldn’t call you a prude. You’re just shy, reserved – I like that.”

Thornstriker’s eyes widened at the sudden declaration. Then she bit her bottom lip and blushed a bit, looking off to the side. Dead End just cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward himself.

A tray was placed on a portable stand next to their table. A different waiter quickly handed out their meals to them: a big steak with blueberry sauce and potato puree for Dead End and a breaded tilapia with rosemary string beans and jasmine rice for Thornstriker. Dead End was the only one to notice the waiter looking at them strangely as he walked away.

Knowing what the waiter was probably thinking, he sighed as he cut into his steak. Too many times had he been looked at in the past like that and he knew they were thinking of him in a negative light because of what his date looked like. The blueberry sauce eased his depressed self as it added to the taste of the well-cooked steak.

They weren’t as chatty as they began to eat, both indulging in the food. But out of the corners of their eyes, they could see the other waiters and waitresses looking at them before whispering to each other. Dead End knew exactly what they were saying – they were still under the impression that he was so sort of sick pervert and she wasn’t legal. She didn’t seem to know exactly why like he did, but she was aware of all the looks and whispers. She didn’t seem to enjoy it either.

“Is something wrong?” she said, leaning over and whispering to him.

“I don’t think they think you’re telling the truth about your age,” he muttered, taking a bite out of his food.

She gave a soft sigh, leaning back in her seat. “They certainly know how to make people feel uncomfortable, don’t they?”

“Well, we just won’t give them a good tip then. And I’m not coming back here again.”

Thornstriker nodded, going back to her food once more. Dead End gave a huff and went back to his meal too, though he would glance up and observe the girl as she ate and drank her wine. She was a neat woman, having proper mannerism and everything. It was adorable at how properly she ate her dinner, never once making a mess of anything. Watching her allowed him to ignore everyone else that was giving them looks.

She glanced up at the other man, biting her bottom lip as she looked at him. She hadn’t been on a date in a long time. She had never had the time nor the interest to date anyone. But… she had to admit, it was nice. She enjoyed spending time with someone else on a more romantic level. Ever since what happened in her junior year, she didn’t think she would ever…

She stopped herself, looking back down at her food. She needed to stop thinking about him. None of this was about him. She was here because she wanted to be. This was her choice entirely and she couldn’t let him affect her like this. Bloodshed… was her friend. And nothing more.

"Hey."

She blinked, looking up at the other.

"When we're done with dinner, you wanna head out?" he asked, glancing over at some of the waiters. "Feels like we're being watched."

She blushed at the idea of others looking at them. "Y-Yes... That would be best..."

"Anywhere you wanna go?"

"N-No... I don't mind just walking around. Unless you have somewhere in mind?"

He shook his head. "Walking around sounds good." Hell, he would do anything to get out of this place. He was tired of being looked at like he was some kind of pedophile.


	4. Chapter 4

After Dead End paid (though Thornstriker had protested and tried to pay for herself, which he didn't allow), they took a small detour by a local park. It seemed to be a popular spot, since he saw what looked to be other couples walking along and a few easy-going parties around them. They walked side by side, Dead End having to slow his pace down a bit to match hers. He caught a couple of people eyeing them earlier, but with a single glare, they quickly turned away.

A part of him wanted to hold her hand, but that would have been creepy on his part. This was only their first date and he doubted a shy girl like her would want or even enjoy that. She would probably protest at the thought. He huffed, trying to push those thoughts away.

"It's a wonderful evening."

He blinked, looking down at her. Thornstriker just looked up at him and smiled gently. He cleared his throat and nodded, cheeks reddening a bit. "Y-Yeah... Guess we lucked out with the weather."

She nodded, turning her attention back to where they were walking. "It's been humid the past two nights, but there's a nice breeze out. Certainly makes things much cooler."

"Yeah..." He turned back to look ahead, seeing that they were coming up to an old playground. Over by the benches that were only a bit away from the playground was a group of four men. One of them was smoking while the other three were drinking. Dead End could clearly see the six-pack on the bench, though three bottles were missing.

But one of the men caught his eye and he tensed as he drew closer. Oh shit... Not him.

The man he was thinking about looked over, eyes widening when he saw his co-worker (and a little girl?) walking towards them. He stood up, stepping into the light a bit more to get a better look at the two. " Dead End?"

The older man inwardly winced. Fuck, he had hoped the guy would just let him through. But Brawl usually didn't care about what other people wanted, so long as he was satisfied himself. He had been working with him for almost eight years now - Dead End knew him a bit too well.

Thornstriker looked at the other, confused. "Who is that?" she asked.

"Just a co-worker," he mumbled. "I told you about him. Brawl."

"Oh... Oh, yes - I remember." Though he never said a lot of great things about him. He wasn't a bad guy - he was just irresponsible. He loved to fight and didn't really think too much about his life after being a bouncer. He was really only one because he enjoyed it, even though he got a little too heated over the small things.

She watched as the other came up to them, bottle still in hand. He gave a bright smile to the other, giving a small wave. "Hey, Dead End," he said, looking him over a bit. "What're you doing here, all dressed up like this?"

"Nothing. What're you doing here?"

The younger man shrugged, gesturing to the guys behind him, who were looking over at the people Brawl was talking to. "Just hanging out with some pals." Then his attention focused to the petite girl standing next to him. Well, she was cute, but she looked a little young. He knew Dead End was no pedophile, but the girl couldn't have been older than eighteen. Hell, she barely looked that old. He looked over at the other, giving him a dark smirk. "I thought you said you didn't like little girls."

Dead End's expression hardened, causing Thornstriker's eyes to widen at the fierce glare in the other's eyes. She had never seen him look so... scary before. But she remained quiet, glancing over at the other.

"I thought I told you to shut up with that," Dead End growled. This certainly wasn't the first time Brawl made fun of him due to his tastes in women. The man had harassed him about it a lot, especially when they were at work and women of Dead End’s type would catch his eye. Hell, he even made fun of him outside of work, when they were just hanging out with each other.

Of course, Brawl had pushed it too far one time when he asked if he would be interested in his friend's daughter, because "she was definitely his type." Because they had been hanging out with friends at the time at someone's house, nothing could stop him from slamming the guy's face into a wall. Despite Brawl's younger age and eagerness to get into a fight, Dead End was smarter and more experienced. It wasn't easy, but he wouldn't have said it was hard the beat to the shit out of the guy either.

Brawl had learned his lesson, but that didn't mean he didn't try to sneak in a joke here or there.

"Well, hey, she does look pretty young, don't you think?" Before Dead End to snap at him, Brawl turned the girl and gave a smirk, eyeing her some more. "So, sweetheart, you got a name?"

"O-Oh... I-I'm Thornstriker."

"How old are you?"

"I-I'm twenty-five."

Brawl did a double take on that, staring at her like she had grown a tail. "You fucking with me?"

"N-No... I-I'm really twenty-five..."

Wow, so Dead End had actually scored with his type. He was slightly impressed, but wondered where he had even found this girl. It wasn't like her kind came around the club often. He laughed once, looking over at the taller man. "Well, congrats, Dead End. Never thought there would come a day you found a legal Lolita to fuck."

"Shut the fuck up!" he snarled, grabbing the other by the shirt's collar. "What?! You want me to kick your ass again?!"

Thornstriker gasped and backed away from the two men, paling at the sight of Dead End 's anger. She wasn't sure what to think or even do. She could only stand back and watch from a short distance.

Brawl just laughed. "What? I'm not the one trying to bang little girls."

"I mean it, Brawl - I'll fucking do it."

"Oh, I'd like that. I bet you would too - impress your girl and show her what it's like to be with a man and not a boy, huh?"

Dead End wanted to murder him. He really hated this little bastard when he did shit like this. Always dicking with him on his attraction to women like Thornstriker. Fuck, he wasn't a pedophile! He didn't like girls! He liked women! Shy and reserved, yeah, but they were still women! He could kill this son of a bitch right here and right now!

But he could see Thornstriker out of the corner of his eye trembling with fear. She was making the same kind of expression the other women like her he had asked out in the past. Shit, he couldn't lose control of himself because this guy was being a bastard. Dropping the younger man, he backed away from him to move over to Thornstriker.

"Hey!" Brawl cried, fixing up his shirt. "Where do you think you're going?"

Before Dead End and Thornstriker could walk away, the three men had made their way over to them, blocking their path. Thornstriker stiffened in fright and clutched onto the older man’s shirt, cowering behind him. Dead End just glared, clearly not impressed with what Brawl was trying to pull. Shit, he had to think of a way to get out of this in a civilized form. He didn't want Thornstriker to get hurt nor did he want to show her his more violent side. He had been hoping to avoid that.

Thornstriker, however, had immediately reached into her bag. She remembered what Bloodshed had told her - call him if anything goes wrong. As far as she was concerned, things were going very wrong.

But just as she hit his speed dial button, hands grabbed her and pulled her away from the bigger man. She was helpless to do anything as Brawl pulled her back into a chokehold and grabbed her phone.

Dead End felt her disappear before he heard her purse hit the ground. Turning around only caused his blood to stop cold as he saw his co-worker holding Thornstriker in his grasp. "Thorn-!"

"You really wanna tempt me?" He pulled his hold back a bit, causing the small woman to gurgle as her feet left the ground temporarily.

The other man could only stop, unable to do anything as Brawl held her there for a few seconds before letting her breathe again.

But before anything could be done, a new voice interrupted the scene. _"Thornstriker? Hello?"_

Brawl looked to the phone. It looked like the Lolita had managed to make a call. But it wasn't the police. Curious, he pulled the phone up to look at the name.

The name Bloodshed on the phone's caller ID made his eyes widen. But as quickly as he was surprised, it soon turned to absolute madness as he smiled like a madman.

_"Thornstriker? Dead End? What's going on? Did something happen?! Thornstriker, answer me!"_

Thornstriker weakly struggled in the hold, one hand clawing into the other's arm as she tried to reach for her phone but to no avail. Brawl just glanced down at the girl, wondering how the hell she knew Bloodshed of all men. Though he had never met the guy, everyone knew about the son of the CFO of Decepticon Enterprise. If you didn't know about him, you were living under a rock. Or not working for the company. Still, everyone knew about him, including Brawl.

And from the rumors, the kid was strong. And Brawl was always eager for a challenge.

He put the phone to his ear. "Sorry, but your friends are a little preoccupied at the moment."

There was a pause, one that made Brawl smile a bit. Then he heard the man growl in a vicious tone, _"Who are you? Where is she? Where's Thornstriker?"_

"Oh, the Lolita?" He looked down at her, smirking. "She's right here. Let me put her on." He moved the phone down to her ear, pushing it against her. "Now... Be a good little girl and invite him over. I'm sure he wouldn't want to miss out on some fun."

She shivered at the harsh tone. But not wanting to be choked again, she did as commanded. "Bl-Bloodshed..."

 _"Thornstriker?"_ he said, his voice thick with worry and fear. _"What's wrong? Are you okay? What's going on?"_

"I-I'm all right," she answered, though in reality, she was anything but. "I-I'm at the park. By the playground. And I-"

But Brawl pulled the phone from her ear, placing it back to his ear. "And we're bored. Come on over and join us. And if you can't, that's all right. My buddies and I can find other forms of entertainment for tonight. We promise to bring your little friend back in one piece by noon tomorrow."

Thornstriker felt her heart nearly stop mid-breath. She could tell from the tone of his voice that Brawl had something horrible in mind for her if Bloodshed didn't come. Glancing over at Dead End, she could see the poor man frozen in place, unable to do anything out of fear of harming her.

The poor man could not believe this was happening. His drunken co-worker was threatening a civilian and her 'guardian' and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He wouldn't think Brawl to do something drastic to a defenseless person, but he had no way of knowing if that applied to the man when he was drunk or on something strong. And now Bloodshed knew. Great, if the evening wasn't bad enough, now the guy he had to tiptoe around for this date was about to find out shit had hit the fan.

The man on the other side of the line was completely still for a few moments. Who the fuck was this guy? Why did he want him to come over? How... How fucking dare he threaten to hurt her. He didn't know this bastard, but he would kill him. Bash his skull in. Break his neck. This fucker was dead.

 _"You lay one fucking finger on her, I'll murder you,"_ he snarled.

Brawl chuckled, excited by the man's threat. This would certainly be a fun fight. "If you come and join us, I won't do anything. Just as long as you come over in the next twenty-" But the other man had already hung up, leaving Brawl to give a chuckle as he released the girl.

Thornstriker coughed and struggled to keep her footing, her body shaking too much. He handed her back her phone, the petite woman quickly snatching it from him and backing away toward Dead End. The older man seized her by the shoulders and brought her back against his chest, glaring daggers at the other.

Brawl paid no mind to it and gave a smile. "This will be fun, won't it?"


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a little over fifteen minutes since Thornstriker had called Bloodshed. Currently, she was sitting against Dead End 's chest, shaking and curling into it as he sat up against a tree, his arms wrapped protectively around her. Brawl was standing up by the sidewalk, smiling and looking around. One of the other three men was sitting down on the bench, drinking another beer. The other two were standing by the couple, whispering to each other before looking over Thornstriker. 

Well, if the other guy didn't show up, they didn't think they would mind spending some time with this girl. She was young, sure, but they had heard that the younger they were, the tighter. That could excite any man and they certainly were excited by the thought. Besides, she was legal. It wouldn't be a crime.

Thornstriker felt like she was going to throw up. Why? Why did this have to happen? She had only been enjoying her date with Dead End when these… men approached them. Especially that Brawl man. He seemed highly irresponsible. And dangerous. And drunk. The other men were no exception.

“So, I guess your friend isn’t gonna show up.”

Thornstriker stiffened, looking up at the man who had spoken. Brawl was now standing in front of them, looking somewhat disappointed. She pressed into Dead End, who just kept his arms locked around her tightly.

“I was really looking forward to this, you know,” he said, giving a disappointed sigh. But then he looked over the girl, his expression turning dark as he smiled. “But spending some time with you doesn’t sound too bad either.”

Thornstriker paled.

Dead End had had enough. He stood up and pushed Thornstriker behind him, keeping her out of sight. “I don’t care how drunk you are,” he snarled. “But you leave this girl alone. She hasn’t done anything – your problem is with me.”

Brawl raised an eyebrow. “Hey now, don’t get greedy. It can’t hurt to share, right?”

Dead End opened his mouth when he suddenly heard a shriek behind him. His eyes widened as he turned around, seeing two of them grab a hold of Thornstriker and pull her over to the playground. She kicked and screamed violently at them, though one clamped a hand over her mouth as the other held down her wrists as they pushed her against the metal jungle gym.

“Thorn-!”

One of the other men grabbed him and pulled him into a chokehold, Brawl coming up and punching him hard in the stomach. He grimaced, but didn’t throw up – he had been hit harder – as he tried to break free. He grabbed the guy by the arms, finding strength to flip him over and onto Brawl.

But just as he did that, one of them men leaning over of Thornstriker left her to help the other two out. The man remaining smirked at that, further in to her hear and whispering, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll take good care of you.”

She screamed into the hand over her mouth, struggling with all her might against the man above her. But it proved to be futile, which made her start to cry. The man above her was so strong and his breath reeked of alcohol. Just like that night three years ago.

She felt a hand at her chest, causing her to cry out in horror. It grabbed at the buttons and ripped them open before going to her right breast, giving it a hard grope. She cried out in pain and terror, shaking violently as he continued to molest her chest.

“How old are you really?” he said, smirking darkly. “You can’t be twenty-five… You feel too much like a little girl.”

She just cried, unable to do anything as Dead End was getting beat up and this man was on top of her. And Brawl had told Bloodshed by noon tomorrow… No… No, this couldn’t be happening… It couldn’t be…

“Thornstriker?!”

The man above her stopped at the voice, Thornstriker’s eyes popping open. She looked past the other, seeing the dark-skinned man in the distance coming toward Brawl and the other men. Brawl looked up, seeing the younger man come toward them. He was panting hard, eyes wide when he came closer to the scene before him.

He stood back from Dead End and smiled brightly at the newcomer. “Well, glad you could come and join us, Bloodshed. We didn’t think you’d show up. My buddies here were already getting started on the other fun we could have tonight.”

As if on cue, the man above her pulled her from the jungle gym, causing her to cry out in fear as she was forced to walk over to everyone. Bloodshed tensed when she stepped into the light, her hair ruffled up, her mascara running down her face a bit from her tears, and the top of her dress unbuttoned.

“Thornstriker?”

She only trembled as the man held her by the shoulders. The other two men joined their friend, Dead End moving over toward Bloodshed. He gave the older man a concerned look, as if asking him if he was okay. He wasn’t about to blame the other guy for this – he knew it wasn’t his fault. Dead End had tried to protect Thornstriker, Bloodshed could tell, so he wasn’t about to get angry with him.

At these four other bastards though? That was a different story.

Brawl chuckled. “Don’t worry – he didn’t do much.” Then he turned back to the slightly taller man, folding his arms across his chest. “Sorry about that, we didn’t think you’d show up.”

“What do you want?” he demanded, now glaring furiously at the other.

“I’ve heard some stories about you, Bloodshed, son of the CFO of Decepticon Enterprise. And rumors have it that you’re a pretty strong guy. Even two of the strongest security guards had problems keeping you contained.”

Bloodshed’s eyes narrowed, but remained silent.

“I’ll get to the point,” he said. “You think you’re tough. I think I’m tough. And I’m always looking for a good challenge. Been a while since I had one of those.”

Bloodshed was utterly dumbfounded. A fight? He threatened to rape Thornstriker because he wanted a good fight?! He could have murdered this bastard. And he would, as soon as he knew Thornstriker was out of harm’s way.

His hands balled up into fists as he snarled, “For putting your hands on her… I’ll fucking kill you.”

Brawl smiled brightly. “Well then… Bring it, kid.”

He charged at Bloodshed, causing Thornstriker to shriek in horror as Brawl was able to get in the first punch. Immediately, one of Brawl’s friends joined him, taking a swing at Bloodshed. But the dark-skinned man had a better reaction time, decking him hard across the jaw before getting hit. When a third man tried to join in, Dead End tackled the other to the ground, pinning him down and slamming his head on the ground.

Thornstriker cried out when the man holding her threw her down onto the grass, joining his third friend handle Dead End. She quickly crawled over back by the bench, hiding behind it as the fight seemed to escalate. Though she hated violence, she couldn't stop herself from watching what was going on between the six men.

As the punches continued to fly, Bloodshed was able to gain his balance to avoid another punch from Brawl before he walked back into the cage. As the second guy tried to punch his face, he moved just enough for the man to instead hit one of the metal bars of the metal playhouse.

As the man cringed in agony of the impact, Bloodshed was able to grab him by the head and throw it against one of the connecting supports of the metal cage. He tried to grab the man again when Brawl threw another one across his cheek. He was nearly caught in the playhouse, but he was able to avoid another jab and roll himself away from them. He started to run towards the giant playhouse on the one end of the playground.

Brawl laughed as he watched the younger man run. "Where you going?! The fun's back here!" He started to chase after him as his buddy slowly picked himself up and followed.

While Brawl chased after Bloodshed, Dead End was trying to get out of another choke hold as the guy he had pinned before was getting back up. Knowing he needed distance, he moved back to get away from the recovering man.

He ended up walking back into the teeter-totter set, a risen seat hitting the man choking him and causing him to release his grip slightly. Not missing his chance, Dead End grabbed the man's arms and pushed him up hard into the seat.

But as the man was falling to the ground gripping his head, the bouncer was soon blindsided by the other guy. Tripping over the other, he was able to catch himself against the main part of the teeter-tooter. But he was forced to defend himself as the guy began to wait on his undefended head.

Bloodshed hit the playground at full speed. Taking a quick look back, he turned to get himself up the low slide and into the structure. He turned back to face the two men, panting like mad.

Brawl slowed to a fault as he looked up at the darker skinned man. He smirked a bit. "What? Getting tired already?"

Bloodshed just glared at him, hands balled up into fists.

"I was expecting a bit more of a challenge."

"You fight like a coward," Bloodshed growled, glancing at the man behind him and the two men fighting Dead End. "Ganging up with your friends on one guy before threatening an innocent girl... You're a fucking coward."

Brawl twitched at that. "The fuck did you just call me?"

"You're a coward. And you know it."

Brawl snarled before charging towards the slide, his buddy coming up behind him.

Smirking, Bloodshed readied himself. Neither man had enough speed to keep their charge while going up. And sure enough, Brawl nearly stumbled at the top of the slide.

Neither he nor his buddy were prepared for the feet that smashed into his chest, knocking him into his man and throwing them off the slide to the ground. Bloodshed caught himself from his fall back, having used the bar over the slide's entrance to swing his feet into them.

Both men groaned. The bottom one was unable to do much while Brawl started to pick himself up. "Fuck... the hell are you, a monkey?"

Bloodshed chuckled. "I don't know. But you’re most certainly starting to look like the dog that's about to run away with its tail between its legs."

"Fucking asshole!" Brawl stood up to charge back up the slide again.

Bloodshed knew his trick would not work again, so he ducked down and threw himself through the small tube that connected the two halves of the playhouse. He managed to pull himself through just as Brawl got up the slide.

Meanwhile, Dead End was now getting wailed on by the one guy, his friend moving around to hit him on the other side due to the lack of space the teeter-totters were giving them. The older man struggled to find a way out, stuck between the wild fists of one man and the giant metal bar holding up the entire structure.

He was barely able to see what was happening elsewhere on the playground. He thought he could make out Bloodshed and Brawl on top of the playhouse on the other end. One guy was trying to get himself up off the ground. It didn't look like Bloodshed could see him.

Then he caught a glimpse of Thornstriker, the poor girl huddled under the darkness of the bench. He could make out her wide, fearful blue eyes as they watched the whole fight going on. They turned from Bloodshed to him, her eyes meeting his as they started to tear. He knew what her thoughts were about. Her friend and her date were getting hurt because they were trying to save her. And if they failed, she would be raped by these drunken bastards.

Or worse, they would be forced to watch her be raped by them, unable to do anything to stop it.

Hearing the other man start to come around, Dead End had a second rush of adrenaline come to him as he managed to catch one of the other man's punches and throw him back over the metal into his friend.

With both men tangled on the ground, he began to pick himself up to move away from the teeter-totters. But knowing that he couldn't risk having them see Thornstriker and go after her, he started to head in the other direction to the big slide. He looked back in relief to see them starting to come after him.

Back at the playground, Bloodshed had grabbed one of the men by the back of the head and slammed his face into the side of the playground equipment. The impact caused him to scream out in pain, a crack resonating through Bloodshed’s ears. He just smirked at that when he saw the man back up, clutching his nose as blood poured out from his fingers.

But he couldn’t enjoy his good work for very long when Brawl grabbed him by the hair and yanked him back, slamming his fist into his cheek. Bloodshed fell back against the side, Brawl coming forth to take another swing. But Bloodshed caught the hand and twisted it and the arm attached to it, head-butting him hard. Stumbling back, Bloodshed came forward again, slamming two hard and solid punches in his gut.

Brawl fell down to his knees, face contorting from the pain as he struggled not to throw up. As Bloodshed watched the man fall forward to the ground, he was blindsided again by another punch from the other guy. He moved around as he tried to regain his bearings, avoiding the man's punches as they continued to fly.

Backing up into the playground, the darker-skinned man waited until the other threw another knock-out punch. But he caught it before it was able to hit, maneuvering his hands to the fingers to curl them back, hard. The man struggled under the pain, screams coming from him as Bloodshed lifted the arm up. Once the man was about to fall to his knees, Bloodshed brought the arm up a little higher before slamming it again the metal wooden bar of the playground's curved ladder.

A sickening crack filled the air as the man crumpled to the ground, holding his limp hand as it hung from his place in a rather sickening angle. Bloodshed only needed to gently grab the man's head (the poor thing was in too much shock to realize what was going on) before slamming it against his knee. The man was mercifully given the relief of unconsciousness.

Bloodshed panted as he looked down at the knocked out man. Looking around, he saw Brawl still on the ground. It didn't look like the bastard was getting up soon. But it didn't hurt to make sure...

"Dead End!"

He turned to the female voice. Thornstriker had finally crawled out from her spot under the bench, moving towards where the other two guys and Dead End were still decking it out by the giant slide.

"Dead-!"

"Thornstriker, wait!" He started running towards her, fearful of what could happen if she got to close to the fighting.

She stopped near the jungle gym, its dome shape between her and the three men still fighting. Bloodshed soon joined her.

"Are you okay?"

She was having trouble answering due to her hyperventilating. "Y-Yes, b-but... Dead End! He... H-He's-!"

Bloodshed quietly shushes her, pushing her back down to sit on the ground. He pulled away from her, stepping toward Dead End to help him. "Just stay there, okay? Just stay there and keep low, okay? I'll help him, just stay there."

She only nodded as she fell to her knees, trembling as Bloodshed ran to help the older man.

Dead End had finally made it to the slide, but it had left him in a bit of a predicament. The slide was old school; it didn't have much structure and with the two guys catching up behind him, he would be forced to fight them both without much to help him with. Normally, he could, but after having his butt handed to him by all four of them before, he was too exhausted and hurt to do much.

Upon reaching the slide, he moved around the slide to position his back against the stairs of the slide. At least like this, the two men would either have to come together to attack, giving him a chance to stop both easily. If they separated, the bars holding up the slide would cause them to go wide, allowing him the chance to get away again. It wasn't much, but it would buy him some more time.

The two men moved around the slide, not separating like he had hoped they would.  One went for the charge while the other went around. He silently cursed, but prepared himself, knowing he would at least knock out one of these guys.

And it did happen. The guy who charged was easily blocked and Dead End was able to throw a good right into his face. The man flew back and slammed into the slide hard, collapsing to the ground.

But the other man, who was able to run around, saw his opportunity with the out-of-position bouncer and jumped onto his back, pulling him into a chokehold.

Dead End wobbled out from under the slide as he fought to throw off the last guy. But he was too weak and too hunched over to do anything other than try to spin the guy off.

About a minute went by; the bouncer was starting to feel his eyes water as his body began to start shutting down. His hands slowly began to stop gripping at the arms choking him, his knees buckled as he fell to the ground. He saw the darkness approaching fast and just as the horror of what would happen to them all started to dawn on him...

...Bloodshed delivered a swift kick to the guy choking Dead End. The man rolled off, allowing the oldest male to finally get some oxygen into his exhausted lungs.

Bloodshed gave the stunned man no time to react as he tackled him, wrestling with him for a second before finally pinning his neck with his arm. The darker man held his position for a bit, ignoring the clawing of his arms by the one below him, before he lifted up slightly to deliver an elbow to the man.

A wet cough was the only thing that left the guy's mouth before he collapsed back onto the ground, also out cold.

Both men panted hard, looking at each. Both were in pain, but they would live and just end up with nasty bruises in the morning. Though Dead End would receive the worst of the bruises, considering his age and the fact he had been jumped by all four before this. Bloodshed collected himself first, standing up more.

"Who the fuck were those guys?"

Dead End groaned, body still aching. "Brawl's friends, I guess... He's not normally like this. But when that idiot gets drunk, he does the stupidest shit..." He stretched a bit and huffed. "He's my coworker. Never thought he would do something like this."

Bloodshed huffed. Alcohol. He should have figured it was something as stupid as that. Damn it, why did Thornstriker always have to suffer at the hands of drunken bastards...? Alcoholics should be murdered for the shit they caused. 

Then, just as they turned around, they heard Thornstriker let out a horrified scream. They both froze and looked toward the girl, seeing Brawl standing behind her, holding what looking like to be a pocket knife to her neck as he kept her trapped against him. Tears ran down her cheeks as she shook violently, not knowing what to do. Bloodshed and Dead End found themselves unable to move, frozen at the sight of the drunken man holding her at knife point. Just what the hell was this guy thinking?!

Thornstriker was stiff with fright as the man panted hard in her ear, the knife at the side of her neck. She felt faint, as if she were going to drop dead from fear. The man reeked of vomit and alcohol. It made her want to scream, but her voice was now utterly muted.

"You... fucking... bit-..." the drunken man snarled. “You fuckers... try to... hu~miliate me...! I'll fucking... fucking make you... make you pay for this...! You'll fucking pay!"

With a shaky grip, he slowly moved the knife down, barely avoiding his arm as it came up to put her in another choke hold, to her chest.

"And first will be... this… whore here."

All three froze, Thornstriker gasping in complete terror as the knife slipped under her bra, it barely going against her skin. "N-No...!" she whimpered. "P-Please, no...! NO!"

Brawl gave sharp tug, the fabric between the two cups tearing. Thornstriker shrieked as her bra opened a little, the skin between her breasts now exposed. Bloodshed stiffened in rage and took a single step forward, which Brawl took notice of.

"You fucking come over here and I'll kill her!" Brawl snarled, pulling Thornstriker up a bit and causing her to gag in the hold, her feet barely touching the ground.

"You let her go or I swear, I'll-"

"You'll what? Come on, you little shit, what will you do? 'Cause by the time you do it, I'll have killed this whore."

Bloodshed snarled at him, hands balling up into fists and he trembled with rage. He had to do something. Anything. But he couldn't think of what to do without her getting hurt. He couldn't let her get hurt by this drunken fucker. He had to do something, but he couldn't think of anything!

"Come on, Brawl, you don't want to do this."

Everyone looked to the oldest man, who stepped a bit toward the other bouncer. "You really wanna lose everything because you're shitfaced drunk? Come on, Brawl, this is enough. Just let her go and we won't tell anyone. I won't tell Barricade, I swear - just let her go and get out of here."

The man barked out a laugh. "Fuck that little bitch! He can't do jack shit about this! Besides, this shit is just a little thing like what we deal with as bouncers. He ain't gonna care."

"Damn it, Brawl - open your eyes! This isn’t anything like that! Now let her go and leave her out of this!"

"Oh, I'll let her go." He put her back down on her feet, but pulled her even closer to his chest. His arms shifted, one wrapping around her chest and the other around her waist. He licked up her cheek, causing her to shriek and shiver at the vile touches. "I wanna see what the big deal is... What makes Lolita here so fucking special?"

"You take your fucking hands off of her!" Bloodshed shouted, taking a step toward them, only for Dead End to hold him back. He knew if Bloodshed got any closer, Brawl would hurt her. Maybe even kill her.

"What?" he said, smirking a little. "You can share your whore with Dead End, but not me?" He moved the hand at her waist down a bit, moving it down to her pelvis. "Or can she not handle a rough fucking? I can see how she'd break at that..." Then he laughed. "Don't worry, though - I'll pay extra if she gets too beat up."

As his hand descended lower and lower, her eyes widened in absolute terror.

His hand slowly moved down her belly, just _touching the band of her underwear_ before it went over and continued downward. The hand roughly _caressed_ the spot just above the dip.

As she watched in horror, that hand moved down to where her _privates and thighs_ met. It pushed slightly to dig into the joined skin _before pulling her underwear off_ and then his hand moved to finally lay _just over her exposed womanhood_.

As Brawl's hand suddenly gripped at her covered pussy, _Bloodshed's hand began to massage the area, whispering words of love into her ear_ his breathing echoed. His fingers dug in _Bloodshed's fingers gently parted_ _her lips, one moving to get her prepared_ and the fingers started to dig into the skin.

_She begged and pleaded for him to stop, but Bloodshed only whispered 'I love you' before his finger entered her body._

Just as Brawl pushed his finger a bit against the cloth, Thornstriker let out a horrified scream. All three men were startled by the suddenness and volume of it, the man holding her flinching back a bit. The woman struggled violently in his grip, thrashing and kicking and hitting at whatever she could reach, screaming as she tried to free herself. Brawl moved the knife, most likely to try to cut her, but when he moved his hand away, it gave her room to move her elbow up before it slammed back down hard into his stomach.

The drunken man wasn't prepared for the hit. He released her on instinct, clutching his stomach tightly. The alcohol was getting to him and the hard hit didn't help, causing him to throw up a bit on himself as Thornstriker pushed away.

She stumbled and hit the floor hard, but crawled away toward the swings. Before Brawl could even try to recover, Bloodshed rushed at him, slamming him up against the jungle gym walls. The girl simply curled up into a ball, whimpering out "Don't touch me, don't touch me, don't touch me" uncontrollably, shaking with terror.

She gasped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, eyes widening when she saw Dead End kneeling down beside her, his face full of worry. "Thornstriker, are you okay?" he said, panicking a bit. "Are you hurt? Are you all right?"

She opened and closed her mouth, unsure of how to respond. But then her eyes drifted to Bloodshed, gasping at the sight.

The man had lifted the other up by the shirt, slamming him up against the jungle gym. He was screaming at him, telling him that he would murder him for speaking to her that way, for touching her like that. He would make Brawl cry like a bitch before killing him, for making her think about something so awful that all she could do was cry. He slammed his fist into his face several, breaking his nose and his jaw, still screaming at him and telling him he would wipe the floor with him. 

Dead End turned around, eyes widened. Oh shit, he was really going to kill him. While he didn't have much against the idea at the moment, he couldn't have Bloodshed get in trouble over this. He couldn't let the other do that to Brawl, even if he did deserve it. He forced himself away from the girl and ran over to Bloodshed.

"Bloodshed, stop!" he shouted, quickly taking a hold of his arms and yanking him away from the other. "You're going to kill him! Stop!"

As Bloodshed was pulled away, Brawl slumped to the floor in a bloody heap, too delirious and too intoxicated to really react anymore. Too overpowered by irrationality, Bloodshed didn't think to try pushing his way out of it. He just wanted to get his hands on that motherfucker and Dead End was stopping him for no good reason!

He turned to face him, shoving him back. "He deserves to die for what he did to her!" he screamed. "He was going to rape her! He was going to put her through a hell she doesn't need to go through! He was going to do what never should have been done to her!"

"Bloodshed, you can't kill him-"

" _Give me one good fucking reason why I shouldn't rip his heart and shove it down his fucking throat! He tried to rape her! He needs to FUCKING DIE FOR WHAT HE TRIED TO DO!_ ”

"Bloodshed, you need to calm down," Dead End said, firmly grasping his shoulders. "You need to calm down... For Thornstriker. If you kill him, you'll get into serious trouble. You'll go to prison..." He glanced over at Thornstriker, who was just staring at the two and trembling hard, tears still rolling down her face. "And you won't be able to protect her anymore."

Bloodshed's eyes widened as he stared at him. Protect... Thornstriker. He turned to look behind him, seeing the older woman huddled up and shaking like a leaf. He had to protect her. He had almost failed just now. He had almost let Brawl have his way with her... And if he killed the man, he would never be able to protect her again.

He couldn't have that. Being her protector was all that he was good for. If he couldn't be there to protect her... he was better off dead.

He pulled away from the man, giving a heavy huff. He heard Brawl groan, making him glare over at the drunken bastard. He lifted his foot and slammed it into his face, forcing him to hit up against the wall and fall unconscious. Bloodshed nodded to himself before he slowly and hesitantly turned to look at the huddled up girl on the floor.

She flinched and whimpered when his bright red eyes locked on her body. She hugged herself even tighter, fearing that his anger would be directed toward her. She gasped when he slowly stepped toward her, Dead End pulling out his phone to call Blackout and Grindor to get this mess all figured out. Barricade couldn't know about this just yet. He would tell the guy himself when Brawl was with him, sober. That would make him pay.

She trembled violently when he finally reached her, though he was a good foot away from her. Slowly, he crouched down and got on his knees so he was no longer towering over her. He scooted a bit closer and, carefully, stretched out a hand toward her.

She let out a horrified gasp and flinched back, hugging herself even tighter as she looked away from him.

His eyes widened, shocked and hurt by her rejection, but he understood her terror. His hand balled up into a fist as he drew back. Giving a soft huff, he slowly removed his light jacket and stood up, moving around her. She gasped when he moved, but before she could react, he placed the jacket over her shoulders. She blinked, looking down at it.

"You... You need it more than I do," he murmured softly.

She just stared at him for a few moments. He looked away from her, still sitting behind her as he waited for her to… do anything. She bit her bottom lip, feeling somewhat guilty. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Th-Thank you…” she whimpered, wrapping the jacket tightly around her.

He nodded, hesitantly holding out a hand to her. Taking a big breath, she accepted it and allowed him to help her up, steadying her on her shaking legs. They both looked over to see Dead End finishing up his phone call, turning to them.

He approached the two, though his attention was mostly on Thornstriker. She bit her bottom lip, but stepped away from Bloodshed, knowing the other had something to say.

“Thornstriker, I…” Then the older man stopped, trying to find the right words to say to her. “I… I’m sorry this happened. This… This wasn’t how I wanted things to be. I-I’m sorry this happened to you… that I made this a horrible night for you. I-I won’t bother you again about this kind of thing… I’m sorry.”

She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. “N-No, Dead End … This wasn’t your fault.” She moved a bit closer to him, resting a hand on his arm. “I… Aside from what happened here, I had a wonderful time. I-I wouldn’t mind going out with you again… Let’s just avoid parks next time.”

The answer shocked both men. Thornstriker would actually go on another date with him? Even though something like this happened?! Bloodshed found himself to be somewhat annoyed with that, but again, it wasn’t like it was Dead End’s fault. And he had no idea how their dinner went, so that didn’t help. Dead End was just stunned that she would want to do this again after what happened. 

Still, he gave a small smile when she tried to shed light on things. “Right… No more parks.” Seeing Bloodshed glare at him, he hesitantly reached over and pulled Thornstriker into a hug. “Go on, you better go home.”

She hugged him back before nodding and pulling away. Her eyes widened when she felt Bloodshed rest a hand on her shoulder and bring her to his side. Bloodshed then turned to the other man, who just stared at him with wide eyes at the glare. It was like the other was staring him down, as if telling him he was lucky he was getting a second chance. But Bloodshed never said anything, turning away to walk forward and taking Thornstriker with him.

She looked back at the other, biting her bottom lip. "Shouldn't we wait with him?"

Bloodshed shook his head. "We should get you home. You've been through a lot tonight. Besides, Dead End can take care of himself. He called his friends to help anyway."

"But-"

"Come on. Let's... Let's just go home."

Thornstriker flinched a bit at the tone of his voice. He sounded... angry. Upset. Like he just wanted to get out of there and go home. She wondered if it had been her fault. Was he mad at her because she had gotten into trouble? Because he had to come save her? Maybe he was tired of her putting herself into dangerous situations...

Before she realized it, they were at his car. He opened the door for her. "Get in," he said, his voice a bit too harsh.

She swallowed and quietly got in, buckling herself in and holding the jacket closer to her body. Bloodshed got into the car as well, slamming the door hard as he started the car. He was muttering to himself as he pulled out of the parking zone and onto the main street. Thornstriker felt her anxiety kick in as he seemed much more... aggressive. Normally, he was very careful when he drove. But normally, he wasn't as angry as he was.

She had never been in the car with him when he was suffering from road rage. Now that she was in the car, she feared for her life. He was making sharp turns, changing lanes too quickly, and didn't stop at yellow lights - he just went straight through. She opened her mouth, as if to tell him to slow down, but then a car cut in front of them, filled with what looked like a bunch of college students enjoying their summer break.

"Son of bitch!" Bloodshed shouted, causing Thornstriker to flinch and cower back into her seat. He honked at them, which seemed to startle them. But neither Bloodshed or Thornstriker were ready for the second car filled with college students, which almost hit the car on Thornstriker's side.

"FUCK!"

Thornstriker cried out when he suddenly pulled over, causing her to jerk in her seat a bit. He parked and shut off the engine, slamming his fist down hard on the steering wheel. The girl just gasped and pressed back against the car door, as if trying to escape his rage. But he never turned to lash out at her. He was slamming his fists down on the wheel or the dashboard, occasionally hitting the ceiling.

"Fucking shits!" he snarled "Never taking responsibility for anything! Being drunk and stupid and...! FUCK! Always hurting people! Innocent fucking people!"

She just stared at him, a bit confused. He wasn't just talking about those students... He was... referring to what happened at the park. So he was angry about that. She turned away, biting her bottom lip as he continued to yell and hit whatever his fists could reach.

His fit of anger didn't last long. What seemed like a minute later, he stopped his rampage, his head pulling the seat belt forward as he laid his forehead on the steering wheel. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel, biting his lip hard as he rambled on.

"Fucking bastards..." he muttered out. “Fuckers don't deserve to live. Fuckers like him don't deserve to live. Fuck, fuck, fuck..."

As he muttered on, Thornstriker glanced back at him occasionally throughout his rant. She didn't like seeing him get this mad, but with nowhere else to go and being on a busy street, she didn't want to risk leaving the safety of the car.  But it was hard to stay there as his temper took a while to cool.

She swallowed, not liking the fury that was coming from him. She stretched out a hand to him, but immediately pulled it back when Bloodshed slammed a fist down on the dashboard again.

"Why did that have to happen?" he growled, not looking at her, but clearly addressing her. "Why to you...? You... You're a good person. You've never done anything wrong in your entire life. This... This was supposed to be a simple night... where you would have a good time... and be with someone who respected you... and could protect you..."

"Bloodshed, please, this isn't-"

"But... those... fucking drunks...!" he hissed, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "Always drunken bastards...! Fuck, why can't they just all die?!"

"Bloodshed, listen, I-"

"They're always hurting someone! Always! And you...! Always hurting you...! Brawl did it...! Those Japanese punks too...! And me... I hurt you too! Because we just had to have a fucking drink!"

She flinched back a bit at the sudden scream, freezing up when he turned to look at her. His face was wrapped with anger, hate, depression, disgust... He looked like he was in so much pain. And she could only stare at him with frightened and confused eyes.

"I should have killed him," he said softly, his voice having gone down to a whisper. "I... I should have just killed him. Then I would have been sent to jail... And there would be two drunken bastards gone from this life... Away from you... Never to hurt you again..."

Her eyes widened. He was starting this again. Back when he had found out about what he had done to her, he had become like this. Depressed, horrified... and suicidal. Bloodshed had tried to waste away and it was only because she had given him a reason to live that he was still alive today.

The man must have seen something in her eyes because he closed his while turning away, unable to look at her anymore. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back and laid against his seat, his head aimed up to the roof. "Maybe you deserve better..."

She looked on in confusion once more.

"You deserve better. Someone who can protect you. Someone who won't hurt you or do something stupid. I couldn't protect you tonight. I was the reason he hurt you. Maybe if you were with Dead End, you'd be happy."

She shook her head, tears developing in the corners of her eyes. She hated it when he talked like this! She absolutely loathed it! "Bloodshed, please, don't-"

"He wanted to fight me... So he hurt you. With Dead End... That wouldn't happen. I can't protect you... I'm always bringing harm your way. I should have killed him... And I would have gone to jail... And Dead End could have taken care of you... And you wouldn't have to face anything else like this..."

She couldn't stand listening to him anymore. She unbuckled herself and leaned over, wrapping her arms tightly around his head and pulling him into her chest. His eyes widened, stunned that she had suddenly reached out to him. He was now aware that she was crying and trembling as she held him to her, stroking over his head.

"Stop it," she whimpered. "Pl-Please, don't do this to me again, please... Don't do it to yourself again..."

Thornstriker feared the worst. That if she did nothing, Bloodshed would cave in on himself just like he had their senior year. And then, this time, she wouldn't be able to do anything for him. This time, he would leave everything behind as he intended to do. Permanently.

"You couldn't have known this would happen," she sobbed softly. "You couldn't have known... And without you, it would've been so much worse... So much worse... Dead End might have gotten himself killed... Four against one... And they... to me..." Then she shook her head of such thoughts, knowing what would have happened if Bloodshed hadn't have come.

Bloodshed felt vile in the back of his throat. He could see them holding her down... tearing off her clothes... putting their hands all over her. He shook his head to get rid of the image of them forcing themselves inside her, her screams...

He couldn't bear to see the mental image through, focusing on gagging back his stomach's contents. He succeeded with a bad taste lingering in the back of his mouth. But catching a glance of her ripped clothes under his jacket, he nearly shot back at the sight of her bare chest, her breasts barely being covered.

Thornstriker was unaware of her exposure and unwilling to let him escape her hold. Unable to do anything else lest he hurt her, the younger man quickly got some space between her and himself so he could bring up his hands and zip up his jacket to cover her.

She flinched at the noise, but as she saw him closing his jacket on her, she let her grip loosen a bit to allow him to pull it up completely. Once he was done, she moved her hands from his back to his shoulders, keeping his eyes locked on her.

"Thank you,” she murmured, blushing a bit.

He just nodded, coughing out an apology since he had looked at her exposed self. She couldn’t help but to inwardly smile at that. He was so respectful towards her, so protective… Because he loved her. He would always love her.

“Bloodshed,” she softly said. "I... I don't need Dead End to protect me. You're more than enough..." She gave a weak attempt at a laugh, shaking her head. "You're better than an entire army. I don't need anyone else but you... You... You are the best protector... The best friend anyone could ever ask for. Please... You... You saved me. You did protect me. Don't think you didn't."

"But... But I-"

She shook her head, reaching up and gently resting a hand against his cheek. "Please, Bloodshed. I... Just... Thank you. For protecting me. Because you did protect me. You saved me... You would have killed for me. I... I can't ask for better protection. So..." She closed her eyes, cheeks reddening a bit as she leaned forward, pressing her lips on his right cheek. "Thank you."

Bloodshed felt the cheek that had been kissed heat up. He never understood why she was so understanding and so forgiving, even to... criminals like him. He failed. He failed to protect her from being assaulted by those drunken bastards. And the asshole Brawl almost went all the way, even getting close to killing her!

"He hurt you because he wanted me,” he rasped out. "He used you to get to me. How can you say I-?"

"He didn't know about you until I called you. He was going to hurt me and Dead End, but he stopped when he saw that I called you."

His eyes widened. She called him first? "You called... me?"

"Yes, I-!"

"Why didn't you call the police?! O-Or someone else-?"

"If I did, he would have hung up and had his way with us!" Didn't he see what she was trying to tell him? "Because I called you, he turned his attention to you! He wanted to fight you rather than have his way with me! It's because of you that I'm here now!"

Bloodshed just stared at the girl for a few moments with wide eyes, trying to think everything she had just told him over. That was true... He had never met Brawl before. And Brawl only knew him as "the son of Bombrush, CFO of Decepticon Enterprise" from rumors. That guy never had anything against him since they didn't even know each other.

And if that was true... Then her calling him, in a way, did save her. His very existence and presence in her life had stopped Brawl from hurting her. Was... that what she was trying to tell him?

She smiled as the realization hit his face. "Now do you understand?" she murmured softly. "You saved me many times tonight. More than you realized." Then she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him back to her body. "You said that you're my best friend, my protector... And I couldn't ask for better, Bloodshed. I... I need you. And I'm glad that I have you. So... So please. Don't... Don't talk down on yourself anymore. Please. You saved me. You really did save me..."

She hugged him a bit tighter and planted another kiss to his cheek, stroking over his face. "Thank you, Bloodshed. Just... Thank you."

Bloodshed sat there, speechless and unable to move. He hadn't failed her. He hadn't messed up.  In fact, he had been the one to save her. He had actually saved her from harm. If things hadn't gone as they had, he would have probably been at home fretting away on the couch, trying to watch TV while that bastard and his friends had their way with her. Using her like a toy for their sadistic pleasure. And when he would finally call to check up on her, it would be too late.  She would be hurt, abused, or worse...

Reaching out, he placed his hands on her cheeks with only a pause before he touched her in case she said otherwise. Holding her eyes to look at his, he suddenly began to feel the weight of the whole night come down on him. How things could have been so much worse. How lucky both of them and Dead End had been. How grateful he was that nothing else had stopped him from being able to get to her and to save her.

“Thornstriker… I…”

She pressed a finger to his lips, shaking her head. “It’s okay. You… You don’t have to say anymore.” She pulled away from him, giving him a small smile. “Please, Bloodshed… I… I want to go home. Please.”

It took him a few moments, but he eventually nodded. If he was feeling tired, she must have been exhausted. This was a lot more draining for her than it was for him. “Okay… Let’s go home. And I promise I won’t drive as recklessly as before.” 

She gave a soft laugh, going back to her seat and clipping herself in. Bloodshed started the car again and huffed, going back onto the road and driving toward their apartment. Neither spoke a word to each other, but it wasn’t an unwanted and dense silence.

It was a quiet, calm one, both just relieved in the fact that she was all right, that he had been able to save her.


	6. Chapter 6

It only took about another ten minutes before Bloodshed pulled up into their apartment complex’s parking structure. When he parked the car and shut off the engine, he turned to the girl in the passenger’s seat. His eyes widened to see that she was dead asleep, overcome from the day’s stressful events.

He got out of the car, rounding it to the passenger side. He opened the door, reaching over and unclipping her. Then, carefully, he lifted her up into his chest, holding her almost as if she were a small child. Much to his surprise, she cuddled into his chest, giving a soft coo as he closed the door and locked the car.

Slowly, he carried her up to their apartment, a small wave of anger coming over him. She was so beautiful, such an innocent angel… And to think those bastards wanted to hurt her. Put their hands over her and try to act like they could own her. He should have killed them… But Dead End was right. He had to protect her in any way he could.

He thought about it for a moment as he opened the door to their apartment. He didn’t have to physically hurt them. Sometimes there were others ways to make people suffer… And though Bloodshed normally liked to solve things on his own, he needed help in order to make those bastards pay.

Bloodshed carefully opened the door to her room, flipping on the light switch and moving over to her bed. Setting her down at the edge, he took off her shoes and her glasses, setting her shoes on the floor and her glasses on the end table. Then he reached over for the tissue box, pulling out a few tissues to wipe off her runny make-up.

Once he removed her make-up, he pulled back the blankets before gently lifting her up and resting her head up against the pillows and her body against the sheets. Then he pulled the blankets over her, making sure she was tucked in comfortably.

Bloodshed stopped to look over her for a few moments. He didn’t even realize that his hand had gone to her face, gently stroking over it. He loved her. He would do anything he could to protect her, even if he had to suffer for it. So long as she was happy and safe, he would do anything for her.

“Good night, Thornstriker,” he murmured softly, taking his hand from her and walking out of her room, turning off the light and closing the door behind him.

He huffed, leaning against the doorway. Now that Thornstriker was taken care of – at least for now, anyway – he had other business to take care of. He headed into the living room, so that he wouldn’t disturb the girl’s sleep, pulling out his phone from his pocket and calling Dead End.

It only took a few rings for the other to pick up. _“Yeah?”_

“You still at the park?”

 _“… Yeah…”_ Then he heard a huff. _“Listen, Bloodshed, I’m sorry about what happened. I never meant for it to–”_

“Forget it,” Bloodshed grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Thornstriker’s fine now… And I know you tried to protect her, or else I doubted you’d be covered in as many bruises as you were when I first got there. Don’t think I’m not pissed though.”

 _“I’m not an idiot. I could tell just how angry you were.”_ There was a small pause before he said, in a soft voice, _“Is… Is she really okay?”_

“Yeah. She’s fine.” Bloodshed couldn’t be too mad at him if he was worried about her as much as he was. And he knew that the older man tried to protect her. But four younger drunk guys against one older sober one? And one of them had a pocketknife on them the whole time? Dead End might have been killed…

Then he huffed, not wanting to think about that. “Hey, that bastard’s friends… Do you know if any of them work under in any of the Decepticon businesses?”

“Huh? Why does that matter?”

“Just yes or no, for fuck’s sake.”

_“All right, all right, calm down. Hold on a minute.”_

Bloodshed chewed at the inside of his lips, the waiting period feeling like an eternity when it was really only about half a minute.

When Dead End came back on the line, he said, _“Well, apparently, Comet works down by the docks that handle the exports and imports of the company with Beatbox. Crashmeter works down at another bar called Reflex that the company has a hold on.”_

“And Brawl-” he practically growled the name “-works with you?”

_“Yeah. Why?”_

“Nothing. Thanks.”

Then he hung up, staring down at his phone for a few minutes. He suddenly felt even more furious as to what he was about to do, but he had no choice. He wanted those bastards to die for what they did, but he couldn’t kill him. Still, he could ruin them.

Though he had told his father that he would never call him for anything, despite the offer given to him, he had no choice this time. He wanted to help him? Fine – he would give him the chance.

With a heavy huff, he dialed the old house number, waiting for him to pick up.

_“Hello?”_

“Bombrush, it’s me.”

There was a long pause, probably caused by shock. _“Bloodshed?”_

“Yeah.”

 _“Well… This is certainly unexpected.”_ Then he heard him give a soft laugh, making him frown. _“Unless, you’re mad at me about something. Then I suppose this phone call is to be expected.”_

“Bombrush,” Bloodshed growled.

_“All right, I’m sorry. But I am curious as to why you called.”_

Bloodshed chewed at the inside of his mouth. He didn’t want to the man for help, but he didn’t have any other choices. He was the only one who could help him and do what he felt needed to be done. It didn’t make him happy about it though.

“Look… Remember when you said you would do me any favor I asked for?”

This pause was even longer than the first one.

“I’m calling in for that favor now.”

His father grew very quiet again, as if pondering as to what Bloodshed could possibly need from him. But he did not ask why. He simply said, _“What do you need?”_

“Do you have records anywhere of those who work for the company? In all areas?”

_“I do. I can pull them up now on my laptop. Why?”_

“There are four men. Beatbox and Comet who work at the docks for your importing and exporting business. Crashmeter works at one of the bars called Reflex and Brawl works at one called Connex.”

_“All right… But why do you need me–”_

“I need you to get them fired and blacklisted.”

That caught the other off guard. _“Bloodshed, are you serious? I can’t just–”_

“Those four men attacked Thornstriker and were going to rape her.”

He did not hear anything for the longest time. Bombrush was utterly quiet, trying to take in the words. Bloodshed was certain Bombrush would do as he said now. Bombrush loved Thornstriker, in his own way. Not like a daughter, but something to where he considered her to be like family. Or a very close family friend.

_“Is she all right?”_

“She is now. No, they didn’t do it, but… If I hadn’t have been there, they would have. Hell, Brawl almost did get to it…” Then he growled, shaking his head of such thoughts. “Bombrush. Will you do it?”

_“Of course. For one thing, I don’t tolerate such behavior from any employee. Megatron doesn’t either. Also… It’s Thornstriker. I would do anything for her. And you, of course.”_

He nodded. “Good night, Bombrush.”

_“Good night.”_

As he hung up, Bloodshed huffed, setting down the phone. Finally, everything would be settled and, hopefully, those bastards would learn their lesson. If not, at least they would suffer for their crime. And maybe get a message across, in case Brawl ever told anyone else of what happened.

No one could fuck with Thornstriker. If anyone dared to touch that angel, Bloodshed would find them. Maybe he would kill them. Maybe he would ruin them. Either way, he would find a way to make them suffer for even thinking about hurting her.

He was her protector. He would do anything and everything for her. And he would be damned if anyone tried to hurt her again.


End file.
